The invention relates to a device for loading capsules intended for the feeding of machines, dispensers, display units or other devices for the dispensing of such capsules and/or for the preparation of food products based on these capsules, such as coffee machines or other machines.
In the food field, the use of systems for preparing food products based on capsules, such as drinks dispensers, is expanding rapidly due to the many advantages that these systems generally bring. Such systems may be drinks dispensers, for example, which work by using capsules containing a base for preparing a drink. The consumer may prepare a drink for himself by using these capsules simply, rapidly and most of the time with a minimum of intervention on his part for preparation and/or cleaning.
These capsules may be, for example, dosed packages of extremely varied configuration, size and/or nature. These may be capsules made of plastic film, filter paper, aluminium or composite laminate and may be in the form of a lens, a beaker or other forms.
In most of the known systems, the capsules are supplied in closed packs such as cardboard boxes or flexible or rigid plastic packs that are separate from the machines themselves. The user takes a capsule from the chosen pack and inserts the capsule into the preparation machine which carries out the preparation such as by dissolving, extracting or percolating the product contained in the capsule with a diluent such as water.
In certain cases, there are capsule dispensers associated with or yet integrated into the preparation machines. Specifically there is a requirement for building stocks of capsules in order to ensure supplies with a minimum of interruption and offer the consumer a choice. The capsules may further be available on demand as in the form of a display unit or a dispenser, with or without payment system, in which the consumer has access to the capsule which he can then take from the dispenser then insert in a machine for preparing the food speciality, for example, for preparing a hot or cold drink.
It may further involve a device which is directly integrated into the machine for preparing the food product and, in this case, the capsule is selected directly and the. product is prepared in the same machine without direct contact between the capsule and the consumer. The capsule is then picked up by mechanical means to be transported from the storage zone to the preparation means such as an extraction or dissolving chamber for example, where the product contained in the capsule may be extracted or dissolved.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,595,106 relates to a magazine for capsules used to store several capsules stacked one upon the other. The capsules may thus be removed from the magazine on demand via an opening made in the base of the magazine. A drawback arises in that, to reload the magazine, the capsules must be inserted into the magazine individually in a slot provided for this purpose. The reloading process is therefore long and not very practical. This system therefore does not lend itself very well to receiving large series of capsules and to an overcomplex automation of the system.
Patent application EP 1 247 481 A1 sets forth a drinks extraction device comprising an integrated capsule loading system. Such a system is particularly practical because it can be used to automatically feed an extraction system with capsules to be extracted by means of a turntable positioned in direct relation with the extraction system. Such a device comprises packs in the form of detachable tubes for storing capsules which match with tubular supports mounted on a rotating base. However, loading the packs into the tubular supports poses a problem.